An early update because I'm excited for the next part lmao Thanks for reading and keeping up with my nonsense, I hope you enjoy this and the comfort to come!

Peeking around the corner, Sugawara swallowed thickly and pressed his back up against the cold cement bricks. His heart was beating a painful rhythm behind his ribs, fear making it hard to breathe.

Where was he? This place looked familiar, but the lights in the halls were dim and flickering, which made it difficult to tell. The linoleum floors cast unsettling shadows as he struggled to remain calm, and he strained his eyes trying to see more than he could. No one had been beyond the corner, so he took his chance and edged around it, careful to keep his back to the wall.

As Suga let out a shaky breath and moved along, he tried to get his fuzzy thoughts in order. Who was he hiding from, where was he running to? He knew this place, the patterned blue floors rang a bell, but the answer evaded him. As he stepped tentatively down the hall, searching for an answer to any of his questions, the feeling of being hunted heightened. The walls on either side of him were bare of decoration, and it gave him no clues, just an endless stretch of dim flickering lights until-

He took in a gasp, eyes growing wide and terror-struck as he looked at the large wooden door that appeared before him. He read 'Janitor Closet', on a simple black placard, and staggered back with revulsion. He knew where he was, it was painfully obvious.

The halls of The Sendai City Gymnasium. If that were the case, who he was running from became clear.

"Found you."

Suga yelped, and hands grabbed him from behind. He struggled to pull free, but fingers wrapped around his throat as he craned his neck to look back into the face of number four from Kita Wasaki. Suddenly they weren't alone, and the other two goons materialized on either side of the door looming before him. Their smiles dripped malice, and the sight brought him chills.

"No ones gonna find you this time," Kanda growled into his ear, pushing him forward as the door swung open. It revealed an endless black abyss, the darkness so complete and consuming that it momentarily stole the breath from his lungs.

He stared deep into the chilling emptiness and when he finally managed to regain control of his lungs, his screams were desperate in hoarse. "No! Leave me alone, let go of me! Please, no!"

He kicked and thrashed, but watched his fate approach in slow motion, unable to get free of Kanda's grasp. "Please! You can't do this!"

He scrambled for purchase as he was forced forward, his toes scraping the tiles while he struggled, and then the two guys standing beside the door morphed. For the briefest moment, Suga felt relief as Asahi and Daichi appeared, but when they didn't move to help him that feeling fled. They could see him fighting, but they stood there, witnessing his panic, and doing nothing. Frantic, he reached out to Daichi and grabbed ahold of his arm.

"Help! Daichi!"

The expression on the captain's face was neutral, but then it turned to one of sympathy. He shook his head and began to pry Suga's fingers loose. The action caused the setter's eyes to tighten with horror, his heartbreaking from betrayal. When he turned to Asahi, he received a similar reaction.

Why, why wouldn't they help him? How could they let Kanda throw him away, didn't they care? Wouldn't they miss him? Was he that disposable?

"Suga," Daichi brushed his hand away, and he went rigid as he turned to look at him.

"You know we'll be fine if you leave, right?"

And then he fell.

"Ah!"

Suga pushed himself up in bed and panted wildly. Sweat soaked his neck and back, his hair curling at his temples from the moisture.

"Hey, Woah. Are you alright?"

Looking up, Suga saw Yuuto was in the middle of setting a tray down on the bedside table but turned toward him as his heart pounded and his body shook. He was frozen as he stared back at his older brother, but then his chin trembled, and he shook his head. Tears welled and spilled over before he squeezed his eyes shut, and he let out a broken sob.

"Koushi? Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

Yuuto was at his side in seconds, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling him into a hug. Suga was stiff at first, but his arms slowly wrapped around his brother and buried his face against his chest, tears unyielding as they streamed down his cheeks.

"It's alright… I'm here…"

Yuuto held him tight as he let out small gasps and trembled, his voice a soothing balm to Suga's shattered composure. They stayed like that, one clinging to the other, for a few minutes before his panic began to ebb, and his trembling finally lessened. When soft hiccupping took the place of his sobs, he fell slack in Yuuto's arms and stayed sagged against his chest, exhausted. The smell of clean laundry and spiced cologne filled his nose, and it was so warm and 'Yuuto' that it almost made him start crying again.

Rubbing a hand up and down Suga's back with a methodical motion, Yuuto leaned his head down to glimpse his face. He didn't want to answer the questions he knew his older brother had, so he avoided eye contact and stare blankly ahead instead. When the silence had stretched on for a while longer, Yuuto got the clue Suga wasn't going to explain.

"I know you don't want to hear this," He began, "But you're gonna have to tell me what that was all about."

Suga said nothing but hunched his shoulders and turned his face into Yuuto's chest. He was right, he didn't want to hear that. He didn't want to hear anything. He wanted to scream and punch something with all the strength he could muster, but his knuckles already ached and protested his trying to grab onto Yuuto. He could use his left hand, but then he'd be utterly useless. But, wasn't he already?

His jaw clenched and he shook his head while still leaning into Yuuto. Everything sucked so much. His head pounded, his face hurt, his hand stung, his ribs ached, and he couldn't focus on anything other than his misery. Talking about his stupid nightmare wasn't going to help anything, it would do the opposite. Hoping to change the subject, Suga turned his attention to a different topic, one he was interested in.

"Where's Daichi?... And the others?

Whether Yuuto knew it was pointless to question his brother now, or he was feeling merciful was unclear, but he answered without persuasion. Taking Suga by the shoulders, he gently pushed him upright so that he could see him as they spoke.

"You and Sawamura took a long nap on the couch while the others watched your Harry Potter movies. When I got home around three, I brought you upstairs and they headed home."

Blinking slowly, Suga swallowed despite the dryness in his mouth and wiped some of the remaining moisture from the corner of his eyes. "What time is it now?"

"8:15."

"E-Eight?"

Squinting as his eyes adjusted to being awake, Suga looked to the window where the blinds had been drawn closed and saw that darkness lay between the panels. There was no daylight left to be blocked, he'd slept the entire day away. He hadn't even said goodbye to his friends.

"Oh…" He said, deflating as his stare moved to his lap.

Ever the compassionate older brother, Yuuto patted Suga's bicep. "Don't worry about it, you needed to sleep. Are you hungry?"

Sadness saturated his demeanor, but he looked up and shrugged. "I suppose I should be, but I don't have an appetite."

Placing a hand on Suga's disheveled head, Yuuto ruffled his hair.

"You should try to eat something anyway. Mom made tempura but last night Sawamura and Azumane said you weren't eating much. I thought Okayu would be easier on your stomach, I asked her to make you that instead."

Suga was touched by the gesture, feeling unworthy of his brother's kind attentiveness. Smiling softly, he nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, I'm your big bro, it's what I'm supposed to do." He grinned, then waved a hand to usher him back.

"Scoot against the headboard and get comfortable, I'll give you the tray to put on your lap. I picked up your antibiotics and pain medication on my way home from brunch, take those first."

Doing as he was told, Suga winced and awkwardly inched backward on the bed to get comfortable as Yuuto clicked on the nightstand lamp, the room lighting up in a soft warm glow. It wasn't easy to get situated when you could only use one hand, and when Yuuto set the wooden tray down on his legs, he realized another inconvenience. Awkwardly Picking up the two pills with his non-dominant hand, Suga fumbled them into his mouth and then sipped from the cup Yuuto offered him. When he was done with that, he fiddled with his spoon until he was able to get a good grip, then scooped up a heap of rice porridge.

He blew away the steam and then took a tentative bite of the mild dish, chewing with a lack of enthusiasm. Typically, he'd be ravenous after skipping so many meals, but he didn't feel well and wasn't in the mood to eat. Planning to stick around for a few minutes, Yuuto pulled the chair out from Suga's desk and tugged it over to the side of his bed. He settled into his seat and then crossed his arms over his chest as he leveled his brother with a stern stare.

"I'm not going to be that easy to shake off, Koushi. Why did you get so upset, was it a bad dream?"

Even though he wasn't hungry, Suga was grateful to have his mouth occupied. Allowing himself to mull over his answer as the mild flavor of Okayu rested on his tongue, the setter took in a breath through his nose and let it out as a sigh.

When he swallowed and his mouth was empty, he used his spoon to push mush around in his bowl, avoiding Yuuto's penetrating gaze. He nodded in answer to Yuuto's question, but he wasn't about to sit there and tell him the extent of his pathetic dream, that'd be mortifying.

"Yeah?" Yuuto asked, then tilted his head. "What about?"

Refusing to pick his head up, Suga pursed his lips and paused his aimless stirring, his response mumbled.

"Nothing… Was stupid."

Yuuto leaned back in the chair, his chin lifting as he scrutinized his brother. "Hmm… You're not usually so reserved, what's got you in a funk?"

He raised his brow and waited for an answer he didn't get, Suga not ignoring him, but shrugging and continuing to stare down into his bowl. With a sigh, Yuuto uncrossed his arms and leaned forward to put his hand on Suga's knee hidden beneath the blanket. He gave a squeeze and lowered his voice. "You know I'm not going to judge you, right? I can see something has been bothering you… Does it have to do with what happened yesterday?"

It wasn't a difficult connection to make, but Suga was still disappointed he'd arrived at that conclusion already. He didn't want to voice the unsavory thoughts swirling within the desert in his head, but he didn't want them in his battered skull either… He resolved to tell Yuuto part of it.

Nodding, he set his spoon back in the bowl and fiddled with the wrapping on his right hand instead. The sight of it reminded him that even if he fought back, he hadn't managed to make a noticeable difference. Without Asahi and Daichi intervening, he and Kiyoko would have been in a much more dire situation.

"I had a dream and-… I was back at the Sendai Gymnasium."

Yuuto squeezed his knee again but stayed quiet to hear what he had to say.

"It was all dark and no one was there… But then that guy- The one from Kita Wasaki appeared and- and- There was that closet again but-" He swallowed and shook his head, his eyes squeezing shut. He could see the black crushing darkness behind his eyelids, the sneers on the faces of the other players… The impassivity of his closest friends. It was gut-wrenching.

A deep furrow formed between Yuuto's brows, a prominent frown disrupting his otherwise handsome face. "I think I get it," he said. "You're reliving those guys jumping you, right?"

It wasn't a wrong assumption, but it excluded a lot of the reasons he was so upset. The feelings of hopelessness, being thrown away, abandoned… His nightmare did a good job of bringing those things front and center. It was his fear of unimportance that made him flinch, not so much a punch to the face.

He knew he should correct Yuuto, he wanted to be honest, but… He was ashamed. His voice was soft and low as he responded, his eyes fixated on the food in front of him. "I-… Uh…Yeah."

Yuuto nodded as though this didn't surprise him and leaned back in his chair again, his arms returning to their folded position. "That's not something you should be embarrassed about, three troll-sized cheats beat the heck out of you and you spent a night in the hospital because of it. It'd be more of a shock if it didn't mess with your head."

Suga's lips pressed into a tight line, his brows drawn down regardless of Yuuto's reassurance. "I feel lame." He muttered, his good hand clutching the blankets as the other lay useless beside him. "Hinata needed help, but all I did was rush in and get the shit kicked out of me. I ache like I fell from a ten-story building and for what, a bunch of nightmares? Lame."

It wasn't often Suga grew somber, but it was hard to pull him out of it when happen. Part of him felt he was overreacting, but the louder part wanted to be frustrated and heard. He could feel Yuuto's stare on him, and when he peeked over to the side, his expression was pensive.

"You say all that as if you failed in helping that first year, but I thought you said he was okay."

"He was…"

"So, you did more than getting beat up. He would have been in a lot of trouble if you didn't show, he got to keep his teeth because you stepped in."

Suga hesitated, but his jaw remained clenched as he fought the desire to choke up. "Maybe… But anyone could be a punching bag, it didn't need to be me."

"Not everyone would bother." Yuuto countered. "Give yourself some credit."

Suga wasn't swayed and his stare returned to his bowl. "If it were Daichi, things would have gone differently." His words were little more than a mumble, but as Yuuto opened his mouth to challenge the statement, their mother called. Her even voice floated up the stairs, interrupting their conversation.

"Yuuto, come look at this, dear. You're Father wants to show you the project his team in Tokyo has been working on."

Taking a breath, Yuto looked between the doorway and his younger brother, deliberating. After a moment of silence for which he stared at Suga, he sighed and turned back to the door.

"I'll be down in a minute, I'm talking with Koushi."

"Alright, meet us at the kitchen table when you're finished. You can tell him what your father and I decided while you're up there."

Suga saw Yuuto's brow pinch at that, but his voice remained calm as he answered "Okay."

His stomach clenched as he braced himself for whatever it was their parents wanted Yuuto to tell him, knowing it would not do well to diffuse his dismal mood. "What were they deciding on?" He asked, his voice small as he watched his bother push off his knees and get to his feet.

Yuuto didn't look as though he wanted to be the messenger but put his hands on his hips and opted to get it over with. "Don't let it eat you up, they said you're grounded. I've been trying to work on them, but they wanted you to 'learn from your mistakes," He gave air quotations. "So, they won't budge."

Suga's jaw clenched tight as he let his eyes drift to his desk, but it wasn't anything he hadn't expected. He was a disappointment, not only to his team but his family, man did that suck. When Suga's answer was to remain quiet, Yuuto tried to soften the blow, his words of reassurance tainted by the uncertainty in his voice. "They did seem like we might be able to persuade them to talk to your coach, do you think that'll help?"

His head was still foggy, his brain unable to theorize if this was a viable option. When he spoke, his tone was lifeless and empty. "Honestly, I don't know."

He knew Yuuto was looking at him with concern, but he couldn't manage a less defeated response, he was just so tired. Yuuto on the other hand seemed anything but, and he continued to talk as he picked up the desk chair and carried it back to its rightful home. "Well, it's worth a shot. When you feel good enough to go back to practice, talk with him and see what he thinks about it."

"Okay."

"There's one more thing." Yuuto pushed the chair up against the desk and looked at Suga as he shifted his gaze to his older brother. "Mom and Dad surprised me with a trip to Tokyo. There's a baseball game they got tickets for, and the day after that, Dad wants to show me around his office."

Oh, that's right. Suga knew about this, his parents had been planning it for a while and he'd made sure to keep quiet so Yuuto would be surprised. Of course, he had school on Monday, so he wouldn't be attending the festivities and planned to stay at home until the three of them returned on Tuesday. It was ironic he wouldn't be going to school now, ironic and a little disappointing since he'd hoped to use it as a distraction from his empty house. Pushing the thought to the back of his muddled brain, Suga did his best to give a soft smile. "That's great, have fun."

"Thanks," Yuuto murmured, rubbing the back of his neck, likely feeling guilt for his excitement when Suga was so miserable. "But there was some good news for you too. Even though you're grounded, they agreed to let you stay at a friend's house while we're gone, since you're still pretty beat up. If their parents give the okay, you can stay till we get back. What do you say, why don't you shoot Sawamura a text?"

Surprised at his parents' offer, Suga blinked. He didn't want to sit in his house alone with his thoughts for two days while he felt like he was knocking on death's door, but neither did he want his friends to see any more of his pathetic state. He didn't want to burden them further, he'd taken too much already. Chewing his lip as he pondered, Suga finally shook his head at the offer.

"That's alright, I'll be okay at home."

Yuuto looked concerned at this response "What, are you sure? Maybe it's not a great idea to be here by yourself, not when you're like… This." He gestured to his injured body, but Suga had a feeling he meant more than his physical condition. No matter, he'd already made up his mind.

"I'm sure. I just need some rest. Go have fun." He urged, another soft smile making its way to his lips to try and offer reassurance.

Yuuto was silent as he studied his brother, but when their mother called up to them again, he had no choice but to relent. Taking in a deep breath, he held it for a few seconds, then let it out. "Fine, if you say so. We're headed out early tomorrow morning, but I'll leave you some breakfast on your nightstand. Finish your dinner and get a shower, it'll make you feel better."

Suga nodded as Yuuto came to the side of his bed and ruffled his hair with gentle affection. "Take care of yourself, alright? You're starting to make me worry."

Guilt clawed at his conscience, and he regretted being something Yuuto had to fret over on one of his few trips home. He couldn't stop letting people down.

"I will," Suga murmured.

It was enough to satisfy Yuuto for the time being, so with a last pat on the shoulder, he turned to head downstairs. Suga managed to maintain his smile until Yuuto walked to the door and disappeared down the hall, then it slowly melted away. His eyes turned back to the bowl of Okayu, and he stared at it blankly, appetite still missing.

On the table beside his bed, his phone vibrated against the wood, the screen lighting up as a message came through and drawing his attention. Someone must have retrieved it from his volleyball bag and plugged it in for him, if he had to guess, Yuuto. Eyeing it with apathy, Suga debated on whether or not to check the notifications, ultimately deciding he probably should. With a steadying hand on the bowl, he leaned over to grab it with his good hand and gasped sharply as his bruised ribs stabbed with pain. He took a shuddering breath as it stunned him and fell back against the headboard as his head swam. It was a full minute before he could catch his breath, and by then he decided whoever messaged him would have to wait. He didn't have it in him to push through the pain, he hardly had it in him to keep his eyes open.

He knew he should get up and shower, finish his food, respond to those messages… But he could shut his eyes for a few minutes first. The room was spinning anyway, the pounding in his concussed head never truly leaving. Taking in a shallow breath he closed his eyes and gingerly rested his aching head against the wooden board behind him. It stung a little where he still had a cut hidden beneath his hair, but not enough to keep him from slipping into a restless sleep.

…

As dawn broke over the horizon and watery light fell upon the Sugawara residence, Yuuto carried a bowl of oatmeal up the steps and down the hall to his younger brother's room. His concern for the other boy had been gradually growing the longer he was home, his strange behavior confusing Yuuto and leaving him at a loss for what he should do. When he'd gone to check on him the previous night, before going to bed, he found him passed out against his headboard, food forgotten on his lap, and still sitting upright. Exasperated, Yuuto had taken the tray and urged Koushi to lie back down. Adjusting his pillow and tugging the blanket up to his chin, Yuuto shook his head and turned off the light as he gathered the tray up and shut the door behind him.

What was one more day without a shower, he needed to catch up on sleep anyway. As much as it pained him to let Koushi sleep in the filthy volleyball uniform from the day before, he knew he didn't want to push him too hard. There was something he didn't know, that much was clear, and it was affecting the younger Sugawara more than he would admit. Koushi might fool everyone else with that kind smile, but Yuuto knew better. As much as he wanted to shake it out of Koushi, he didn't think the attempt would end favorably.

So instead, he was doing what he could and trying to keep him eating and hydrated. With a water bottle tucked under his elbow and a thermometer poking out of his pocket, he marched down the hall and carefully maneuvered the door open to slip inside. He left it cracked so that the light from the hall would illuminate the room without making it too bright, but his brows pinched together as soon as he saw Koushi.

Curled in a tight ball, Koushi was wrapped up in his blue comforter and shivering despite the sweat glistening on his exposed forehead. The sight wasn't a reassuring one, and after he set the oatmeal down on the stand beside the bed, he tugged the thermometer from his pocket.

"Don't bite me…" Yuuto murmured, though it turned out not to be a necessary request as the teen beneath him remain in a fitful sleep, unaware as the device slipped past his teeth and beneath his tongue. Yuuto waited the required time, but when it beeped and he checked out the temperature reading, he shook his head and groaned.

"102.2, you hear that, Koushi? Of course, you don't… You're burning alive."

Staring down at the temperature for a long minute, Yuuto sighed as he made a decision and unplugged his brother's phone before picking it up.

Unlocking it with ease, he thumbed through the notifications and whispered to Koushi as he clicked on a message he hadn't opened. "I know you're going to complain about this, but I'm not leaving you here alone. You can yell at me all you want when you're healthy enough to put up a fight."

A couple blocks over, Daichi's phone buzzed and chimed beneath his pillow.